A BREAKAWAY faction of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA), led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene, yesterday accused War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube of overstepping his mandate and seeking to prescribe leadership of the association.
Source: War vets splinter group cries foul – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 4, 2016
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Chimene’s deputy, George Mlala, called on Dube to stop meddling in the affairs of the association and allow members to choose their new executive to replace the Christopher Mutsvangwa-led executive committee.
“There have been some sentiments by the Ministry of War Veterans saying they are appointing a new leadership. As war veterans, we are saying that is not the duty of the ministry. The minister has no authority to conduct elections or appoint the leadership for the association,” Mlala said.
“The minister must be careful on that. Maybe he wants to act in the same manner as Mutsvangwa did, but he must be reminded that he has nothing to do with the association. He cannot say when and how the congress is going to be conducted.
“His duty is to look at the welfare of war veterans only. The ministry was created to cater for the welfare of those who participated at the liberation war front. The association is not run by the ministry, but elected officials. We are a membership-driven organisation and we elect our own people. The ministry will work with those who are elected,” he said.
Mlala added that his interim executive had set up new war veterans structures in six of the country’s 10 provinces in preparation for an elective national congress of the association.
The provinces were Matabeleland South, Mashonaland East and Central, Masvingo, Midlands and Bulawayo.
“We have been meeting war veterans in the provinces to consult and we are all in agreement that war veterans are a product of the party (Zanu PF). Since Mutsvangwa and company were expelled from Zanu PF, we will be holding a general meeting soon to get more views before we convene a congress to elect new leadership,” Mlala said.
But Mutsvangwa ally and ZNLWVA secretary-general Victor Matemadanda scoffed at the alleged restructuring exercise, saying the High Court order barring Chimene from masquerading as the war veterans leader was still in force. “They can go ahead doing whatever they are doing, but there is a court order barring them, but if they don’t respect it, then it is another thing. Then being able to create the structures is another thing.
What they are saying is that they are forming a splinter association,” he said.
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